Lucky 13 as cup girls go through

Camden Youth have successfully made it through to the semi-finals of the League Cup after beating Barnet Nightingales 8-5

THERE were goals galore on Saturday as Camden Youth FC advanced to the semi-finals of the Capital Girls League Cup following a 13-goal thriller against arch-rivals Barnet Nightingales.

In recent meetings there has been nothing to choose between the two Under-13s sides, with the last three league games all ending in draws.

That all changed at the weekend, however, when the Camden girls netted an emphatic 8-5 win in a free-scoring goal-fest at Barnet’s Ashmole Academy pitch in Southgate.

Iliana Longmuir opened the scoring with a lovely finish following a flowing passing move, before Macy Peet-Woodall doubled the advantage. Ava-Grace McLean then stole centre stage by scoring a seven-minute hat-trick to seemingly put the game out of reach of Barnet.

To their credit, the home side battled back strongly to reduce the deficit to just two goals, trailing 5-3 at the break.

In the second half Camden, led by player-of-the-match Sienna Noel, who was buzzing around midfield, were quickly back into their stride. Sharp-shooter Ava added two more goals to her tally, scoring either side of a fine solo strike from Olivia Gilbert.

Barnet again reduced the arrears, but they were never going to stop a rampant Camden team from reaching the final four, where they will meet a high-flying Haringey side who beat Hampstead 12-1 in their quarter-final.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more from my team, they deserve their place in the semi-finals,” beamed Camden’s coach Jamie Woodall. “It was a hard-fought victory in the rain and the mud.

“We’ve had a mixed start to the season in the league so this win, against a strong Barnet team, was just what we needed to remind ourselves of what we’re capable of.

“We’ve got back-to-back fixtures coming up against Pro:Direct, who are top of the Capital Girls League, but the girls are fired up and can’t wait now.”

Camden Youth FC are still on the lookout for a goalkeeper for both their Under-13s & Under-15s teams. Anyone interested should email Kirsty Pealling at: Kirsty.Pealling@camden.gov.uk